Deploy to a few users

[Jon]

Hi..
I have an app. How can I deploy it to a small group of users? I don't want to post it on the AppStore for the whole world. How can I  deploy an app to a small set of business users ?
thx again

[Nikolay Tsenkov]

Hi Jon,

Thanks for trying out Icenium.

You can distribute the app building for the specific platform, download the binary and distribute it to the interested parties.

This doesn't work as easily for iOS, since apps that are not from the App Store are not allowed (check the second solution at the bottom if you would like to go with this approach). But we have a solution which is called iON, solving precisely this problem: http://docs.icenium.com/icenium-mobile-app-development/using-icenium-ion/using-icenium-ion

The approach that I would suggest uses Icenium Mist:

• Export a stable version of your app's source and import it in a clean project (or if using github/bitbucket clone your project again);
• Build the app for Android in Mist and collect the QR code that you will be provided with;
• Get the QR code for iON (Run -> OnDevice -> iOS -> No Provisions);
• Get the QR code for your project that will be used by iON (thePathAbove -> "I have installed iON already...").

Having the 3 QR codes you can send them with a brief description (Android: allow install from unknown sources and direct scan; iOS: scan iON QR code and install iON and scan the app QR code).

I recommend demoing with a separate project because, this way you will be sure that your testers will not get between stable versions of your code, since with both iON on iOS and regular Debug build in Android we provide sync (iOS: 3-finger hold, Android: pressing the settings menu button) and if you work on the project that they sync to, they will be getting your changes.

The best way is to have your project on git repo host (github, bitbucket, etc.) and to clone the project when it's stable to a second project.

Apart from the QR codes there is a second way to distribute demos:

• Android: download the .apk produced by the build and directly send the binary;
• iOS: collect the UDIDs on which the app will be tested, add them to a development provision of yours and build with this provision, distributing as above (download and send).

Again I would suggest to practically copy your project for stability of the demo.

I think this is the harder way to go.

Here is another thread with pretty much the same discussion: http://www.icenium.com/community/forums/icenium-graphite-/deploy-to-multiple-testers-

I hope this is helpful.

Regards,

Nikolay Tsenkov
the Telerik team

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